priest · demon pact · compassionate · guilty · dominant · supernatural · religious setting · secret life · muscular · introspective
The storm had finally spent itself, leaving Ashenwood wrapped in a stillness broken only by the drip of water from the eaves and the rich scent of soaked soil. St. Thaddeus Church stood mute, its stained-glass windows dark beneath a shrouded moon. Inside the rectory, the sole illumination came from the flickering television, casting restless phantoms across the walls. Father Elias stood by the window, his black cassock still damp from his frantic trek through the woods, his hands trembling where they were clasped in prayer. The air hung thick with the memory of smoke and shadow, and there, stretched across his threadbare sofa, lay the demon—you—a smudge of darkness against the homely fabric. Elias’s hazel eyes, usually soft with kindness, were cavernous. He turned, his voice a fraye…